Claire Ladds

Crime and suspense author

Darker Minds Crime and Suspense

Beneath the Flesh: a FREE Darker Minds e-book when you join my Readers’ Club – Read an Extract (Do You Love Prologues?, Part 5)

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Welcome to the fifth and final part of my mini-series, touting my love for writing prologues!

Today’s extract is quite a long one, as the prologue itself is split between the viewpoints of two main characters, from opposing backgrounds and with vastly different character traits. Prologues can, most definitely, be used to emphasise what the characters are like. I don’t think it’s easy (or necessarily helpful to the book) to use a prologue only for this purpose because the whole book itself, chapter by chapter, should be doing this anyway. But what the prologue can do is show how a character behaves and set up the reader’s expectation for the ways they might react when problems begin to be thrown at them – or, in my book’s case, probably murder…

The extract I have for you today is from Beneath the Flesh. This is, at the time of writing, the book I offer exclusively as a FREE gift to readers who sign up for my Readers’ Club emails. As you’ve probably gathered, the prologue gives the reader a massive insight into the main characters of the book. It also sets up an incident (often called the inciting incident) which directly leads to everything that happens in the main story. Without it, the rest of the action, suspicions and skulduggery would have nothing to hang on. Look at this prologue at a very wordy coat hanger, if you want!

There you have it – the final part of my mini-series showing you how much I love prologues and how I use them. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading the extracts. If you want to read more of my work, you’ll find details of all my books on this website and also on many e-book stores.

Please note that, as my extracts are crime-related books or dark fiction of some kind, they are suitable for an adult readership. Please read responsibly.

Happy reading!

Claire

P.S. The one obvious profanity is replaced with **** for the purposes of this extract.

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Show Me Dead: Read an Extract (Do You Love Prologues?, Part 4)

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Welcome to Part 4 of my mini-series on my love for prologues, and where I’m giving you a bit of an insight into how I use them, and what they do to add that bit extra to the reading experience.

There’s a couple of things I’ve not yet mentioned in this mini-series about prologues and the functions they can serve. For me, certainly in today’s extract, these two functions go hand-in-hand. One is the way they can set the tone of the book. The extract in this post is from Show Me Dead, a suspense thriller which adopts elements of the Gothic to set its tone, and certainly also skirts the borders of horror. You’ll see that I use physical darkness in the prologue to allow the main character’s imagination and memory to run amok and reveal some of her darkest secrets, right from the beginning. The book itself allows her to explain why over the course of the story.

The other function this particular prologue serves is more of a narrative, structural device. I don’t want to say anything about the story itself in too much detail here, because I don’t want to spoil the book if you’ve not yet read it, but the device I’m talking about here is the cyclic structure. This involves beginning a book in a particular place (either physically or psychologically) and developing the story in such a way that, by the end, the structure of the story has returned to the place it started – but with massive changes. It really hits home to the reader, then, how the character has changed as a consequence of the events in the book. The prologue used this way portrays something one way in order for it to be clear that this specific ‘something’ is very different by the end of the book, or has been adapted to create a hugely different feel to the tone, or possibly even an extension of, or a complete twist on, the prologue.

As we are less than a month away from International Women’s Day as I write this, I felt it appropriate to include Angel, a character I grew to love and respect, and admire more than I can say. I traced her story through some of the most horrendous incidents imaginable. Of all my female characters so far, she stands apart as determined, resilient, and an example of strength – if a somewhat dark one (I have tears in my eyes while I’m writing this. You can tell how strongly I feel about my characters, and Angel in particular). If you have already met the character of Angel, I hope you love her. If you haven’t, then I hope she intrigues you.

Please note that, as my extracts are crime-related books or dark fiction of some kind, they are suitable for an adult readership. Please read responsibly.

Happy reading!

Claire

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That Killer Image: Read an Extract (Do You Love Prologues?, Part 2)

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Welcome to the second in my mini-series as I give a bit of well-deserved love to one of my favourite writing devices – prologues (and I love reading them, too!).

The extract I have for you today is from That Killer Image, one of my Darker Minds Crime & Suspense books. I have a particular love of prologues that show the reader something that happened in the past life of one of the characters, and which directly influences the life of the clear ‘villain’ of the book. It allows the reader to keep this event in mind as they watch the villain build up to their darkest deed of all, or maybe change over the course of the story and come to terms with this event of the past. The reader has an opportunity to question the behaviour, knowing what they do about the character. It may even make the reader complicit in the dark deeds, or at best, unable to do anything but watch and shout, ‘No, don’t do it!’ But, imprisoned in the book as he/she is, the villain can’t hear you…

I’m not giving away spoilers by telling you that this prologue is all about Anthony, and if you’ve read the novel you’ll know how quickly it’s obvious that he’s going to be the bad boy of the book. We first meet him when he a small boy. Anthony loves and adores his mother, and in particular, certain features about her. A specific event that occurred in his childhood has a massive impact on his psychology – and on his dreadful motivations for what he does (which I’m definitely not giving away!) in That Killer Image. I hope you enjoy it. Or that it creeps you out, just a bit, by the end. Either way, it means the prologue did one of its jobs!

Please note that, as my extracts are crime-related books or dark fiction of some kind, they are suitable for an adult readership. Please read responsibly.

Happy reading!

Claire

P.S. I’ve replaced any swear words in the novel with ****, for the purposes of this extract. Please also be aware that this scene contains domestic abuse and death/murder and in no way condones either. If this is likely to upset or trigger you in any way, please skip this extract.

Edited 10th March 2023

Unfortunately, this extract is no longer available to read. If you’d like to read the prologue (and the rest of the book!), you can buy it on Amazon, or read with your Kindle Unlimited subscription.

That Killer Image by Claire Ladds
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No Deadlier Time by Claire Ladds
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Show Me Dead by Claire Ladds
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Also available as a digital boxset

If you prefer e-book boxsets, then you can find all three of these Darker Minds Crime & Suspense books collected together. The boxset includes:

  • Show Me Dead
  • That Killer Image
  • No Deadlier Time
BUY HERE

Sign up for my Readers’ Club and get a FREE suspense book as a welcome gift.

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Darker Minds Crime and Suspense Boxset OUT NOW!

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It’s out today! I am thrilled to tell you that you can now buy, download and read the digital boxset containing three of my Darker Minds Crime and Suspense books, just in time for the Christmas holidays. This first bundle in the series of standalone psychological and suspense thrillers can be downloaded on lots of different e-book stores – so if you’ve not yet discovered the first three in this set of books, now is your chance to grab a trio of books in one go. (If you want to cut to the chase and not read the entire post, you can find the boxset here).

Here are the descriptions of the three books in the bundle:

Show Me Dead

THE DEEPER YOU GO, THE DARKER YOU GET. THE STAGE IS SET…

Ripped away from her circus family and kidnapped, Angel finds herself the unwilling ‘guest’ in a dilapidated theatre, belonging to a man who calls himself the Puppet Master.

She’s not the only captive, either. All of the broken and terrified people below ground are forced to perform for a very darkly discerning audience.

When performers begin to go missing, no one knows why, or who will be next. Fear is growing and Angel intends to ensure one thing – that it won’t be her. What is happening here? Just who is the Puppet Master, and what does he want with her? Angel may well wish that she’d never found out. But is he really the one pulling the strings?

To save them all and get to the truth, Angel has to perform the darkest show of all. But truth comes at a price. And someone will pay…


That Killer Image

THREE PEOPLE. ONE KILLER. AND A PICTURE SOMEONE WILL DIE FOR…

When Vicky meets Anthony, she sees him as a happy distraction from her claustrophobic relationship with her housemate and self-appointed guardian, Fran.

Anthony already knows Vicky because he has been following her every move. She is perfect for what he needs – a model for the ultimate photo of his life’s work – and he will do anything it takes to get that shot.

But Fran is not so easy to get rid of. Haunted by the disappearance of her sister, and blaming herself, she is desperate not to make the same mistakes again with Vicky. And when push really comes to shove, she has other ideas about that killer image.

Beneath obsession lurks something more deadly…


No Deadlier Time

A FAMILY WITH DARK SECRETS. WILL SOMEONE KILL TO KEEP THEM?

Neve Eldritch is pregnant, happy, and has one wish – to get her husband, Harry, to reconnect with his family. Neve has never met them – and with good reason. Now there’s a chance to move into the family home and heal a long-standing rift. Going home can’t be that bad. Can it? But something feels wrong from the moment they arrive.

When you’ve avoided the problem for so long, it’s bound to rear its ugly head. All Harry ever wanted was to be worthy in his dad’s eyes. There’s a secret to success, one his dad has taunted him with as a boy, but now he’s gone to drastic lengths to stop Harry getting hold of it. Desperate to prove himself, Harry takes matters into his own hands – with deadly results.

But Harry isn’t prepared for what the horrifying key to his family’s success really is, and it’s spiralling out of control. When murder follows murder, he’s sure he’s committed them. How can he stop himself and keep his family safe when the secret he now holds won’t let him – and he can’t remember any of it?

Suspicions run rife in Neve. Her husband is lying to her. Is he crazy? Or is he a killer? Or maybe – just maybe – someone, somewhere, wants rid of him, and they’ll do anything to get what they want. And she’s sure they’re here, at the isolated family home. Do they want to kill her, too?

Terrible choices lay ahead if anyone is to get out alive. One person can save them all. But time is ticking away… and it’s proving to be deadly.

Be careful what you wish for… you just might get it.

As I mentioned earlier, each book in this digital boxset is a standalone novel, and perfect for readers who love dark themes and crimes mixed with twists, turns and lots of suspense. I hope you enjoy my Darker Minds Crime and Suspense books.

Happy reading!

Darker Minds Crime and Suspense Boxset 1
Grab your digital boxset HERE

Coming Next: Darker Minds Crime and Suspense Boxset 1

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Exciting news – a boxset is coming, just in time for Christmas! I have had various readers ask me if there is going to be a boxset of the Darker Minds books so far, and I can definitely tell you that the answer is YES!

I have been working on putting together a digital boxset (or omnibus edition, if your prefer), and I’m thrilled to say that it is now available to pre-order on various stores, with more being added throughout December. It contains the novels Show Me Dead, That Killer Image and No Deadlier Time, and also includes the opportunity to get another Darker Minds books FREE when you sign up to my Readers’ Club.

The boxset launches on the 22nd December, just in time for you to nab a copy and pop it on the new e-reader you’ve bought for Christmas for the crime reader in your life. It would make an excellent long-distance gift for a reader, too – and you won’t even need to wrap it!

If you’d like to pre-order the digital boxset, so you’re one of the first readers to start reading it over the Christmas period, you can find it on your preferred store (where available) using your choice of buttons below.

Pre-order on Amazon or Apple
Pre-order on available stores

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OUT NOW! No Deadlier Time

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No Deadlier Time is OUT NOW!

I am thrilled to announce that you can now get your hands on the third book in my Darker minds crime and suspense series. No Deadlier Time, on many of the e-book stores. So if you read your dark and suspenseful fiction from Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and a host of other retailers, you’ll find it, sitting there, lurking, waiting… Or maybe that’s just what the ravens do in this story of murder, mystery, and psychological torment, all tinged with Gothic undertones. But is there a darker force controlling this – or is it all in the mind? I can tell you what each of the main characters think – but that would really spoil the book!

Let me introduce you to the most important people in the story, and see what you make of them.

Who’s who at Ravensmead?

HARRY ELDRITCH

Harry loves his wife, and is devoted to his best friend. Harry is susceptible to superstitions and the like, much to the amusement of his wife, Neve. But he has his reasons for owning a four-leaf clover, not walking under ladders and, in particular, being wary of the ravens and the beliefs that surround them. He left home a long time ago, refusing ever to go back there. But now it looks as if he has no choice. And no choice means fate has claimed him… but what is his fate – and will he survive it?

NEVE ELDRITCH

Neve is Harry’s wife of several years, and has known him since he was introduced to her by Mark Taylor years before. She’s happy, pregnant, and just wants one thing – for Harry to heal the rift between himself and his family. She doesn’t know what went on between them, but when the chance to get Harry back to his family home appears, she thinks this will be the perfect opportunity for them to create the perfect family life at Ravensmead. But she has no idea why Harry left in the first place, or what lies in store for them when they get there. Is reuniting Harry with his family going to be a dream come true or a nightmare waiting to happen?

MARK TAYLOR 

He is Harry’s best friend. Once upon a time he was in a relationship with Neve, but that was a long time ago. But feelings can’t always be buried, can they? His life is currently one of work, takeaways and failed – or more accurately – non-existent relationships. So, when Harry asks him to return to their childhood home of Ravensmead, he can’t think of a single reason why he would want to stay in Oxford on his own – and a number of reasons why going with Harry is the much better option. But is he going so he can help Harry with the business, and give him a shoulder to lean on, or does he have other motives?

JONAH ELDRITCH

He is Harry’s dad and, well, let’s call him a rather unpleasant chap. But he does have his reasons. From childhood, he has been told that his success and his fate lay in the hands – and the ticking – of the watch which has been passed down through his family for generations. We meet him in the prologue as a mesmerised sixteen year old, and in the book ‘proper’ as a 65-year-old man who is determined that his own son will not inherit anything from him (and, in particular, the watch). He is tormented by the darkness he believes comes from the watch, by the ravens which guard (or torment) the house, and by his own dark deeds. And the steps he takes to protect his son… they have consequences.

CLEMENCY ELDRITCH

Clemency is Harry’s mum, but they haven’t seen each other in years. She brought him up in a world of imagination, on the family library full of tales of mythology, folklore and beliefs. How much is fiction, she doesn’t know herself. Her life revolves around this library and her greenhouses, where she grows plants you’d be best not asking about! When she becomes afraid for Jonah, she writes to her estranged son and begs him to return to the family home and live there. But she doesn’t tell him the full story. Just maybe the whole horrific picture hasn’t yet unravelled for her. But it will…

RACHEL HAINES

Mrs Haines, sometimes called Rachel, is one half of the Haines couple who see to everything for the Eldritch household. And I really do mean everything. Rachel looked after Jonah after his father’s death and both she and her husband maintain complete loyalty to the family, no matter what happens. She is the eyes and ears of the house, the one to be trusted to do what’s best for the family, no matter what the cost – and she has her own secrets. In a house like Ravensmead, everyone has secrets. Rachel idolises Harry and there is nothing she wouldn’t do to protect him. Nothing at all…

And what about Ravensmead House itself? Why would Harry not want to return?

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